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Dusk came and birds were chirping. Yue Qingyuan slowly opened his eyes. For some reason his body felt colder than usual and when his vision was finally clearer, he realized that he was not in his bed, nor his room in Qiong Ding Peak. However, the white canopy above his head was not something he didn't recognize. After all, he had been to the bamboo house in Qing Jing Peak numerous times to visit his shidi.

Though, Yue Qingyuan could not recall a time when he would ever be allowed to spend the night here, let alone sleep in Shen Qingqiu's bed. Shen Qingqiu resented him and they could barely exchange more than five sentences with each other - aside from sect matters, his junior martial brother wouldn't tolerate his presence for any longer than an incense stick of time. The Qing Jing Peak Lord always preferred to minimize his interaction with other people, especially Yue Qingyuan. So how did he end up here?

Glancing left and right, he noticed Shen Qingqiu was nowhere to be seen and sighed. Yue Qingyuan could not quite recall what had happened the night before. He was certain he had gone to bed as usual, but perhaps he had somehow come here to see Shen Qingqiu and just didn't remember it? They had just returned from a fairly long trip the day before and both were fairly exhausted. Whatever happened, Shen Qingqiu surely would not appreciate having to vacant his bed for Yue Qingyuan

Getting up and walking away from the bed, Yue Qingyuan noticed his body felt lighter. He looked at his own hands and was stunned to see that they were thinner and paler. A foreboding feeling crept into his mind and he searched for a mirror.

Reflected on the surface was Shen Qingqiu's face. Yue Qingyuan froze. What the… what in the world was happening here?

The door suddenly slammed open. Yue Qingyuan nearly fainted when he saw himself striding into the room, except the expression on his face was very clearly belonging to a certain martial brother of his. Putting two and two together, Yue Qingyuan finally realized what had happened and his eyes grew even wider. He pointed at his body. "... Xiao… Qingqiu Shidi?"

Shen Qingqiu, now trapped in Yue Qingyuan's body, crossed his arms and shut his eyes, looking extremely vexed. "Zhangmen Shixiong. It looks like we are in quite a predicament."

Yue Qingyuan had not screamed, not since he was released from the cave. After spending more than a year trapped inside, meditating and learning to control his inner demons, he hadn't had an episode of qi deviation and with it, he had trained himself to suppress his pure emotions from showing. His shidi had sometimes called him disingenuous. Yue Qingyuan never denied it, because he was in fact a pathetic man who had long been hiding a secret known only to himself and people who were now unreachable.

However, at that moment he truly did feel like screaming from the shock. It was only through years as a sect leader that had managed to stop him from doing so, and to keep him calm and patient. The last thing he wanted to do now was to irk Shen Qingqiu, for he knew the situation they were in now must already be loathsome for his shidi.

It wasn't hard to know that. Yue Qingyuan's face was now forming an irate expression that he normally would never have. The way his brows were furrowed and his eyes narrowed were very much telling - that was Shen Qingqiu's signature look whenever he was annoyed (which was nine out of ten times the look he put on in front of Yue Qingyuan).

"This is all your fault," Shen Qingqiu uttered accusingly. On Yue Qingyuan's face, the scowl appeared very out of place. 

"... I'm sorry."

"That's the only thing you can say! And stop making that expression with my face, it's hideous!" Shen Qingqiu berated.

Truthfully, it wasn't really Yue Qingyuan's fault - he never intended for this to happen. A couple days ago, they had attended a meeting with the other sect leaders and representatives. They stopped by a teahouse for a brief break on their way back to Tian Gong Mountains and just happened to overhear the local villagers complaining about a strange spirit disturbing them with loud howls nearly every night.

While none of the villagers were actually harmed, it did disturb their rest. Children were terrified and adults were unable to sleep. Shen Qingqiu decided that since it had been around but not once caused real trouble, they should not bother investigating it. Yue Qingyuan however thought since they were already there, they might as well look up the cause.

Heading to the old abandoned house said to be the source of the creepy noises, they found the spirit of a dead blue moon fox, with its head stuck in an old pickling jar. The pickling jar had been enchanted by the former owner originally to catch any thief ("Who would guard their pickles this intensely?!" Shen Qingqiu complained) but unfortunately the poor fox had been caught in the trap.

Yue Qingyuan simply smashed the jar to release the fox spirit. Blue moon fox spirits generally only dwelled in the forest, and very rarely would attack humans. Before leaving to return to the forest, the fox spirit had thanked them and hinted that it would present them with a gift.

" To resolve the burden in your hearts ," said the fox.

Shen Qingqiu had warned him about foxes being pranksters. Alright, maybe it was partly his fault for not listening. However, neither of them had ever encountered a fox spirit so powerful that it could cast this kind of curse.

Yue Qingyuan wasn't sure how this body switch would resolve any problems they had before, but it certainly had only made Shen Qingqiu even angrier at him. "We will look for the cure together," he promised.

"Of course we need to," Shen Qingqiu snapped. However, they had meetings, lessons, as well as other matters already arranged and planned for the day. Who knew how long it would take to search for the solution? Shen Qingqiu was not looking forward to postponing all the work that had been scheduled.

"... For now, let's get dressed," Yue Qingyuan said, then paused as he realized something. He was in Shen Qingqiu's body now.

To change out from his sleepwear meant taking off the clothes, meaning he would be looking at Xiao Jiu's naked body-

"Don't even think of it!" Shen Qingqiu stopped him the moment his eyes had lingered at the body he was inhabiting now.

"But I need to put on proper clothes…"

Shen Qingqiu clicked his tongue. "... Fine. Close your eyes. I'll do it, so don't you dare do it yourself!"

Taking a long piece of ribbon, Shen Qingqiu tied the fabric around his head to use it as a blindfold. Yue Qingyuan gulped, his mind beginning to go wild as he felt warm fingers carefully peeling the white sleeping robes from the body. Since Shen Qingqiu had come here already dressed, did that mean he had seen and touched Yue Qingyuan's body?

Oh no. He took a deep breath to stop himself from getting too excited.

"... Zhangmen Shixiong."

"Yes?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Oh no. Yue Qingyuan immediately combust with embarrassment as he realized his (Shen Qingqiu's) body was reacting to his dirty thoughts. "If you're uncomfortable, shidi, I will get dressed myself…"

"Absolutely not," Shen Qingqiu hissed angrily. "We are going to take a cold bath, right now!"

He was unceremoniously dumped into a tub of cold water, still blindfolded. Shen Qingqiu made him raise both hands above the water to make sure he would not be touching anything unpermitted, while his shidi began cleaning him up. Then Yue Qingyuan suddenly heard the sound of water spilling.

"Shi… Zhangmen Shibo?! What are you doing to Shizun?!"

That was Luo Binghe's voice and… oh dear. Yue Qingyuan now realized that in Luo Binghe's eyes, what he was seeing now would be the sight of his shizun naked and blindfolded in the tub, while the sect leader was bathing him. Oh no.

"Little beast, you're not to speak a word about this," Shen Qingqiu hissed and Yue Qingyuan could already imagine a deadly glare accompanying his warning. Except that the expression would be on his face.

"Di...this disciple understands, Zhangmen Shibo," Luo Binghe answered and scurried away.

Yue Qingyuan supposed they should be thankful that at least they were only seen by Shen Qingqiu's youngest disciple, who wouldn't dare to leak a single word about this incident. After making sure that Yue Qingyuan was clean and without the 'reaction', Shen Qingqiu proceeded to dress him.

It was shameful to admit it, but… it felt nice, being pampered by Xiao Jiu. 

Neither of them were certain of how their connections to their spiritual swords would be in their current situation, hence they opted to take the Rainbow Bridge to their destination. There was no time to practice.

Arriving at the Qiong Ding Peak meeting hall, Shen Qingqiu nearly sat in the wrong place, if not because his martial siblings were all greeting him politely. It felt so strange. He was not used to being looked up to like this. At most Mu Qingfang was cordial and Shang Qinghua feared him, but the rest of the Peak Lords held not a shred of intention to treat him as their senior. Especially Liu Qingge and Qi Qingqi, who were both vocal about their dislikes.

Yue Qingyuan on the other hand was perhaps experiencing the feeling of being blatantly disrespected by someone other than Shen Qingqiu for the first time in decades. He did not seem to be angered by it judging from his expression. Rather than feeling insulted it appeared that he was more bothered by the fact that this was a normal occurrence for Shen Qingqiu.

What a joke. When had Shen Qingqiu ever received any decent respect? Did Yue Qingyuan only realize it now?

"How was the meeting, Zhangmen Shixiong?" Qi Qingqi asked.

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat. Fortunately for him he had been by Yue Qingyuan's side long enough to emulate his habits and manners of speaking. "It went just fine, Qi Shimei."

It was followed by silence. Shen Qingqiu blinked, wondering why the Peak Lords did not respond and appeared as if they were still waiting for more. The moment he noticed Shang Qinghua's eyes glancing at Yue Qingyuan who was currently wearing his face, he finally realized something.

While Yue Qingyuan would lead the meeting, Shen Qingqiu was often the one to insert other important details here and there. Yue Qingyuan however was not one to speak if he deemed it unnecessary. In a way that part of him was similar to Shen Qingqiu, except that Yue Qingyuan considered a lot of things unnecessary and needed no explanation. He wasn't as inquisitive as Shen Qingqiu.

Oftentimes his martial siblings heeded the order without much questions as they trusted Yue Qingyuan and his authority. With Shen Qingqiu, he had to spell out everything and explained his reasonings, just to convince his martial siblings that he wasn't acting ridiculous. It was frustrating but that was what he had to do, just to be heard. Even then, people still rarely listened, that most of the time he gave up trying to get his voice out.

"Shen Shixiong, is there anything….?" Shang Qinghua dared himself to ask. "You look a little out of it."

Yue Qingyuan fluttered his eyes innocently, earning a surprised look from the ten other peak lords. It took him a few seconds to realize Shang Qinghua was speaking to him. He sighed. "Actually, on our way back we- hic."

They were planning to reveal their condition to make things easier. After all, Shen Qingqiu did not plan to keep playing as Yue Qingyuan, no matter how good it felt to have some power. He still hated not being in control of his own body. He noticed, however, that it seemed like Yue Qingyuan was unable to speak.

He rolled his eyes and parted his lips to speak instead. "The truth is, on our way back here… here…."

Shen Qingqiu was surprised to find himself tongue-tied as well. His eyes widened slightly and he exchanged glances with Yue Qingyuan. A tacit understanding formed between them. The curse did not only switch their bodies, it also prevented them from even speaking about it to others. It seemed like it really was up to just the two of them to solve this.

"What is it?" Wei Qingwei asked.

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. "Our bodies have been tired after that meeting. Shidi, I shall have to delegate more tasks to all of you in the meantime. Please ask my head disciple for all the documents and distribute them to Qi Shimei, Huang Shidi, and Yin Shidi as well."

"Oh… of course," Wei Qingwei answered, seeming a little weirded out. Even when he was swamped with work, rather than distributing the tasks to his other martial siblings Yue Qingyuan still preferred to oversee them himself. It was nice, however, to know that he had finally decided that his martial siblings could also be trusted on taking up part of the workload.

"Would you like me to examine you two?" Mu Qingfang offered.

"Thank you, but there is no need, Mu Shidi," Yue Qingyuan answered. His usual serene smile appeared and Mu Qingfang looked evidently stunned. Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat loudly and the smile was instantly wiped off from Yue Qingyuan.

They ended the meeting a little earlier than planned. Even though Yue Qingyuan was able to emulate most of Shen Qingqiu's mannerisms, he couldn't read Shen Qingqiu's mind. Hence, everyone had noticed that the 'Qing Jing Peak Lord' was not speaking as much, opting to hide behind his fan for the most part. Fortunately they could perhaps attribute it to him being in a foul mood.

"Please come to my room, Qingqiu Shidi," Shen Qingqiu said, looking directly at Yue Qingyuan to make sure the man would not get confused.

"... Yes, Shixiong," Yue Qingyuan replied and silently followed Shen Qingqiu to his room in Qiong Ding Peak.

They failed to notice the ten pair of eyes watching them with an absurd amount of interest. They wondered why their sect leader appeared a lot more dominant and charismatic that day, while the Qing Jing Peak Lord was acting more gentle and demure.

"Look at what you've done!" Shen Qingqiu uttered furiously as soon as they closed the door. "How are we going to fix this?!"

Yue Qingyuan looked down. "I'm sorry… Shidi."

Shen Qingqiu scowled. "Of course, that's the only thing you can say. Always. Every time."

Yue Qingyuan pursed his lips. Once again he had caused misfortune to Xiao Jiu because of his recklessness. He clenched his fists. "The fox spirit did mention that it would present us with a gift to ease the burden in our heart. I wonder… if we can resolve it, perhaps the curse may be lifted?"

Shen Qingqiu crossed his arms. "And what shall we do if the biggest burden in my heart right now is having someone else occupying my body?"

"I promise we will find the cure, Xiao Jiu-"

"Stop. You've lost the right to say it from the moment you broke your promise," Shen Qingqiu snarled.

Yue Qingyuan wanted to protest. Yet, could he claim that his loyalty never wavered, when he failed to come back for Xiao Jiu?

"We are going through all the records until we find the cure. Understand?" Shen Qingqiu pressed.

Yue Qingyuan nodded weakly.

They spent the rest of the day raiding the library, looking for any text related to fox spirits. However, there was no mention of any curse that involved body or soul switching. Fox spirits indeed had a habit of playing pranks on humans, but most weren't capable enough to place such a powerful curse.

The only explanation would be that the fox spirit had actually cultivated for a very long time, over a thousand years - and likely had accumulated enough spiritual energy to be considered a fox deity. Still, Shen Qingqiu found it odd for a spirit that powerful to get trapped in a pickle jar. 

'To ease the burden in their hearts?' Shen Qingqiu had a lot of turmoil constantly plaguing his mind. Everyday was spent fighting his inner demons. He would have to wipe out his entire memory if he wanted to have a solace of mind, because years of meditation had failed to give him that.

What burden could Yue Qingyuan carry? Sect matters? His past? Having to deal with Shen Qingqiu?

He was so immersed in his thoughts, he almost did not notice Liu Qingge approaching him. "Zhangmen Shixiong."

Liu Qingge had never once called him Shixiong. To have him refer to Shen Qingqiu like this felt quite funny, frankly. He was almost tempted to start giving out orders to Liu Qingge just to play with him. "What is it, Liu Shidi?" Shen Qingqiu responded, making sure to imitate Yue Qingyuan's soft tone.

"The mission that you asked me to do the other day. I would like more details," Liu Qingge requested.

Shen Qingqiu almost sneered. "Since when did Liu Shidi learn to assess situations before charging in blindly?"

There was a momentary silence. Liu Qingge stared at him, eyes wide with astonishment and Shen Qingqiu realized he had acted very out of character for Yue Qingyuan. He coughed. "It is very commendable of you, Shidi, to keep improving despite your reputation. This shixiong is very proud of you."

Ptuii! Shen Qingqiu wanted to vomit, just thinking about how gross his words were. Complimenting Liu Qingge? He might as well jump into a ditch because that would be more satisfying. Why must he praise Liu Qingge for doing the bare minimum?

"... Thank you, Shixiong," Liu Qingge awkwardly answered. He actually looked a little embarrassed.

"Unfortunately my hands are quite full now, so you may ask Qingqiu Shidi about details regarding the mission. I've briefed him about it before," said Shen Qingqiu. He wasn't aware which mission was being assigned to Liu Qingge, so he might as well just let Yue Qingyuan himself answer.

As expected Liu Qingge's face turned a bit sour. "Shen Qingqiu?"

"Do ask him for more details, Shidi," Shen Qingqiu forced himself to throw a casual smile. In other words, get the hell out of my sight.

Sensing that Yue Qingyuan wasn't about to speak further, Liu Qingge reluctantly searched for 'Shen Qingqiu', who was in the other part of the library. He found 'Shen Qingqiu' sitting quietly in one corner, with a troubled expression. Which was strange, because the Shen Qingqiu he knew never had that kind of expression.

"Shen Qingqiu," he called as he approached the other.

His shixiong looked up from the book he was reading and blinked. "Oh, Liu Shidi. Do you need something from me?"

".... What's wrong with you?"

His shixiong only looked back at him with a clueless face. "What do you mean?"

That face! That tone! The Qing Jing Peak Lord normally would have gotten annoyed just from Liu Qingge breathing in front of him. Since when did he have such a soft expression? "Do you know about the mission Zhangmen Shixiong assigned me?"

"Mm? Oh, yes, of course," 'Shen Qingqiu' smiled and Liu Qingge now was concerned that his shixiong had been possessed. "I will tell my head disciple to hand the scroll to you."

"Your head disciple… that boy, Ming Fan? Why would he have the scroll?" Liu Qingge asked, confused.

His shixiong coughed. "I mean Zhangmen Shixiong's head disciple. He manages most of the scroll."

"... Oh," Liu Qingge uttered. Strange. "Your temper is a lot better today. Did something happen?"

His shixiong looked away. "Why would you say that?"

"You're always so rude and unlikeable. Why the change of heart today? You didn't speak much during the meeting either," Liu Qingge commented.

'Shen Qingqiu' frowned. "Shidi, you don't really respect me either. You didn't greet me earlier when I came in."

Liu Qingge rolled his eyes. "You're demanding respect now? Why don't you start becoming an honorable person first? You fight dirty, your temperament is intolerable, you'd backstab your own martial brother. Yet you want respect?"

He expected Shen Qingqiu to lash out in retaliation. Maybe he would hiss angrily or challenge him for a battle.

He was not prepared to see Shen Qingqiu looking absolutely dejected. His lips were pursed, his face were tilted down, and his shoulders slumped helplessly, making him look even smaller and more pitiful.

"What's happening here?" 'Yue Qingyuan' suddenly appeared and Liu Qingge suddenly felt very guilty, as if he had just been caught bullying 'Shen Qingqiu'. "Are you two not done talking?"

Seeing 'Yue Qingyuan', 'Shen Qingqiu' stopped looking upset. He stood up and clenched his fists. "Zhangmen Shixiong, this shidi has been treated rudely. Asking Zhangmen Shixiong to clear his name and let him have the respect he deserves."

Liu Qingge scoffed, but he was a little surprised. Unless it was sect matters, Shen Qingqiu normally would even avoid Yue Qingyuan but now he was suddenly complaining to the sect leader? “Trying to manipulate Zhangmen Shixiong into defending you, when you barely give him an ounce of respect yourself? For someone of the scholarly peak, you’re certainly shameless.”

'Yue Qingyuan' scowled. He crossed his arms and ignored Liu Qingge’s jab, despite ‘Shen Qingqiu’ evidently looking hurt. "Why should I do that? Is it not something you're already used to? If Liu Shidi has already decided that you're not worth looking up to, why bother correcting him?"

"..." Liu Qingge looked at 'Yue Qingyuan' in disbelief. 

Was this the sect leader he knew? Yue Qingyuan had always defended Shen Qingqiu, why was he not speaking up when Shen Qingqiu was asking?

… No, actually, now that he thought about it whenever a fight erupted between them Yue Qingyuan would always tell Shen Qingqiu to make peace first without inquiring the matters. He never ended up punishing or scolding Shen Qingqiu, but he never bothered to investigate if he was innocent either.

"Stop whining and get back to reading. We are not going to be stuck in here all day. I have other things to do than to entertain you," 'Yue Qingyuan' added and walked away.

This was unexpected but… Liu Qingge suddenly felt sorry for 'Shen Qingqiu' now. Especially when looking at his crestfallen face. Did the fatigue put 'Yue Qingyuan' in a poor mood, or was he finally tired of dealing with 'Shen Qingqiu'? Now that Liu Qingge thought about it, Shen Qingqiu did not really have any friends, even from the disciple days. Yue Qingyuan was the only one willing to talk to him for some reason, and now even Yue Qingyuan refused to deal with him anymore.

It's what he gets for being a prick, Liu Qingge told himself, but now he suddenly couldn't help feeling like maybe he still shouldn't be rude to Shen Qingqiu just because he didn't like his shixiong. 

"What in the world were you thinking? Do you think I need you to protect me now, Yue Qingyuan?" Shen Qingqiu lashed out angrily as soon as they made it to the bamboo house.

Yue Qingyuan pursed his lips and looked down. He slowly placed all the books that they had brought in on the work desk. After the debacle with Liu Qingge, Shen Qingqiu decided it was better for them to be in a private space to minimize interactions with other peak lords.

"Qingqiu Shidi doesn't deserve to be treated like this," he murmured.

Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes. "How long do you think I've lived this way? You're suddenly choosing to speak out now? Moreover, asking me to defend you while I'm wearing your face? You don't need to worry about looking good, Zhangmen Shixiong. Everyone already knows you as the epitome of honor and righteousness while I'm the scum of the earth."

"That's not my intention at all-"

"Shut your mouth. The sooner we return to our bodies, the better. You don't have to experience constantly receiving the short end of the sticks anymore," Shen Qingqiu spat.

Yue Qingyuan knew that their martial siblings did not like Shen Qingqiu. At most, they only feigned politeness and had a working relationship with him. However, he did not expect that his shidi was actually disrespected to this extent. No - perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Yue Qingyuan never actually looked at his shidi closely enough to realize it. He never understood, nor did he genuinely try to understand Shen Qingqiu.

Living as his shidi for just over half a day was enough to let him actually see just a tiny bit of what Shen Qingqiu was experiencing. Being blatantly disregarded by his martial juniors, having rude words tossed to him, unable to defend himself without being called manipulative and shameless. He remembered telling Shen Qingqiu multiple times to try to get along with his martial siblings, but he had forgotten that respect and friendship should go both ways. He 'spoiled' his shidi blindly without resolving the real issue.

The day passed without either of them successfully finding the cure. As night approached there was now another problem. The sleeping arrangement.

“Liu Shixiong, what are you doing?”

Liu Qingge’s steps halted. He turned around and was a little surprised to see Mu Qingfang and Shang Qinghua following behind. After some pondering, Liu Qingge decided that he could try and make amends with Shen Qingqiu, while his temper was seemingly a lot milder (or rather, he was acting quite meek today). As much as he disliked Shen Qingqiu, in the end there really was no point in isolating one of their own martial brothers.

“Just here to ask Shen Qingqiu some things. What are you two doing here, Mu Shidi and Shang Shixiong?” Liu Qingge asked.

“Both Yue Shixiong and Shen Shixiong are acting strange. I can’t help feeling worried and came here to check up on them,” Mu Shidi answered.

Shang Qinghua nodded. “I was with Mu Shidi to see Zhangmen Shixiong as well, but his disciples told me that he has gone to Qing Jing Peak. Shall we come in together?”

He would have preferred talking to Shen Qingqiu alone, but since Mu Qingfang was here, they might as well come in together. He was curious about their strange behaviours as well. However, just when the three of them stood in front of the door - ready to knock - ‘Yue Qingyuan’s voice suddenly thundered from inside the bamboo house.

“What do you think you’re doing?! You’re not allowed to go anywhere without my watch!”

“But… there’s only one bed here, so unless…” Shen Qingqiu’s voice was whimpering.

“Don’t forget, that body is mine!”

The three peak lords instantly froze.

“Now stay still while I take off those clothes,” ‘Yue Qingyuan’s voice ordered. “Do not move unless I tell you to. If not, I’ll make sure you can’t lift your legs after this.”

What… what in the world were they listening to?! Was this how Yue Qingyuan secretly treated Shen Qingqiu behind their backs? Was this the reason why Shen Qingqiu could barely stand being around Yue Qingyuan?!

Unable to restrain himself, Liu Qingge kicked the door open and barged in, ignoring the shrieks of protest from Shang Qinghua. 

None of them were prepared to see ‘Shen Qingqiu’, blindfolded and sitting obediently on bed, while ‘Yue Qingyuan’ was stripping him off the green robes. Left only in his inner robe, with his hair down, and unable to see anything - ‘Shen Qingqiu’ looked truly pitiful. “Who… who is there? What’s happening?”

That night, the entire Qing Jing Peak was awakened by the sound of Shang Qinghua’s scream and Liu Qingge’s rampaging. By morning, rumors had spread throughout the entire mountain alleging that their sect leader had forced the Qing Jing Peak Lord to participate in a very kinky dubious form of dual cultivation.

It did not help that a certain young disciple of Qing Jing Peak had witnessed his shizun getting bathed while blindfolded, and had blurted out the story to his shijie, who took it as a confirmation to the validity of the news.

Due to the misunderstandings, Liu Qingge had thrown a fit and nearly destroyed the walls of the bamboo house, no thanks to him. Shang Qinghua had also contributed to the false rumours by exaggerating the intensity of the scene he had witnessed before his eyes.

Anyway, while Yue Qingyuan had been dragged away to stay with Qi Qingqi and Mu Qingfang, Shen Qingqiu now was confined in Yue Qingyuan's room and not allowed to leave. What a joke. Now they were suddenly trying to defend 'Shen Qingqiu's chastity', when they were the same people who believed he was a lecher? 

It was two hours after he was confined, that Yue Qingyuan managed to sneak back into his own room. He smiled apologetically at Shen Qingqiu. "I'm sorry, Shidi. It took a lot of explaining to convince them that nothing serious happened."

Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I'm still struck with bad luck even in your body."

"I was wrong," Yue Qingyuan apologized.

"Enough apologizing. Let's get out of here and continue our research. The faster we get out of this situation, the better," Shen Qingqiu said.

"Our juniors and disciples are guarding outside, though," Yue Qingyuan said.

"We can just fly," Shen Qingqiu said, summoning his spiritual sword. He was surprised, however, to see that the one appearing in his hand was not Xiu Ya, but Xuan Su.

Perhaps while the curse had switched their soul, it did not switch their golden cores along. The golden cores were still bound to the bodies they inhabited and thus the spiritual sword imbued with their respective energy was still attached to the bodies they came from. Shen Qingqiu marveled at the weight and aura emanating from Xuan Su. So this was the legendary sword. It felt so different from holding Xiu Ya.

He was about to pull the blade out from its scabbard, when Yue Qingyuan suddenly stopped him. "Wait!"

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Yue Qingyuan appeared pale. Perhaps it was just Shen Qingqiu's complexion? 

"We don't need to unsheathe our swords to fly," said Yue Qingyuan.

Shen Qingqiu frowned. "I know. I just want to look at Xuan Su." The only time he had ever seen Xuan Su being unsheathed was during the new Peak Lords' inauguration. Even then, Xuan Su had only come out from its scabbard for a very short time.

"Shidi, let's not waste time doing that."

"All I want is a glimpse. Am I not even allowed to do that?" Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes. 

He gripped on the hilt firmly, and Yue Qingyuan turned even more pallid as he slowly pulled it out.

In a speed never seen by Shen Qingqiu before, Yue Qingyuan moved and shoved him down to stop him from unsheathing the sword. Visible shock and anger painted across his face at the moment, for he was infuriated thinking how Yue Qingyuan thought so lowly of him that he wasn't even deserving of looking at the blade.

That was until he felt a strange, sudden pull from the golden core pulsating inside, as few inches of the shiny blade was revealed.

Yue Qingyuan then quickly had Xuan Su fully sheathed and the pull that was taking up something from him stopped. Shen Qingqiu trembled.

There was no time for Yue Qingyuan to even feel relieved, as Shen Qingqiu rolled and pushed him to the floor this time, entrapping him underneath his body. Yue Qingyuan swallowed hard, looking at Shen Qingqiu above him, who was straddling him and clutching the green fabric on his chest tightly.

"Why…" Shen Qingqiu hissed. "Why is Xuan Su connected to your life force, Yue Qingyuan?"

Yue Qingyuan pursed his lips.

"Answer me, or I'll pull it out again!" He threatened.

With no choice, Yue Qingyuan shut his eyes and resigned to the threat. "When I first came here… I was impatient. I wanted to retrieve you as quickly as I can. I rushed, and… I suffered from a terrible qi deviation. My shizun had to lock me up in the Spirit Caves for over a year."

Shen Qingqiu's eyes widened. His entire body was shaking and he slowly released the tight hold.

"No matter how much I screamed and begged, they wouldn't let me out. When I did get out… you were already gone," Yue Qingyuan confessed. "The sword consumes part of my lifespan every time it's unsheathed. Since our bodies are switched, I don't know which of us would suffer, so… I couldn't let you do it."

He received a slap right on his cheek. Yue Qingyuan did not dare to look back at Shen Qingqiu, until he heard soft sobs.

"You can't let me pull it out because our bodies are switched? You're such a fool. What about your own life? What did I tell you before you left? Why do you have to be such an idiot?!" Shen Qingqiu cried, all while pounding his fists against Yue Qingyuan's chest. "Why did it have to take a stupid fucking curse to tell me the truth?!"

"I… I still failed to come back for you. In the end it doesn't matter-"

"Of course it fucking matters! Back then, I thought even if you had died, I would search the entire world for your bones. Even if you couldn't come back because of your stupidity, just knowing you cared and you tried, would have been enough!" Shen Qingqiu shouted.

He had lost his chance to achieve his full potential. He had been tainted and ruined by the most vile, disgusting people. He had nothing to begin with, other than Yue Qi. His Qi Ge. If Qi Ge no longer cared, what else did he have left?

But Yue Qingyuan did care. He tried to come back. That was all he needed to know - that Qi Ge didn't abandon him. That Qi Ge still loved him.

Yue Qingyuan coughed when he felt the growing pressure against his ribcage from the taller and heavier body against him. "Shi... Shidi, I know you're angry, but this is still your body and you're hurting it."

"Shut up. It's my body and I choose how to treat it," Shen Qingqiu uttered. He wiped the tears that had been staining the warm cheeks, then leaned down to meet Yue Qingyuan's lips.

Slightly dry lips pressed against soft, pink ones. It tasted a little salty from both of their tears. Kissing yourself is strange, Shen Qingqiu thought. For a split second Yue Qingyuan made a strangled noise from the shock, but it only took a second before he looped his arms around Shen Qingqiu and pulled him closer.

A wave of energy surged though them.

All of a sudden Shen Qingqiu felt something heavy on top of him. Weaving his fingers through the slightly coarser hair and running his hand across the broad back however, he realized he was back in his body. They had switched back.

To resolve the burdens in your hearts , he recalled the fox spirit saying.

The curse had been lifted, by resolving the misunderstanding that had been plaguing them for years. They were such fools. Well, not him, but Yue Qingyuan. He had told Yue Qingyuan to be careful so many times and the man still acted like an idiot.

"... Qi Ge," he breathed, when their lips finally parted.

Yue Qingyuan stared at the beautiful visage underneath him. There were tear streaks on Shen Qingqiu's blushing cheeks. His lips were puffy from all the kissing. He looked slightly disheveled from all their movements, yet Yue Qingyuan had never seen a more breathtakingly gorgeous scene in his life before. "Xiao Jiu."

"We need to find a way to make sure that stupid sword won't kill you," said Shen Qingqiu.

"It won't," Yue Qingyuan promised. "Qi Ge will live a long life so Xiao Jiu won't be lonely."

A little smirk appeared on Shen Qingqiu's face. "Who says I'll be lonely without you?"

Yue Qingyuan pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Xiao Jiu… forgive me. I'll make sure all our juniors will give the respect you deserve."

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "Really? Would you punish Liu Shidi for his impertinence, if I say so?"

Yue Qingyuan nodded. "I'll make Liu Shidi learn the Four Arts so he can realize how hard you've been working."

Shen Qingqiu laughed and Yue Qingyuan had never heard a sound more pleasant. This was everything he wanted. For Xiao Jiu to smile and laugh, for Xiao Jiu to be happy. "Before you do that, we have a lot to explain. Well, you have a lot to explain."

"....?"

Loud footsteps approached the room and soon Qi Qingqi, followed by her martial brothers all stomped in. They had been searching for 'Shen Qingqiu' the entire time and failed to find him, until someone pointed out that they had yet to look inside Yue Qingyuan's room.

Hence, when they opened the door to be greeted with the sight of Yue Qingyuan pining Shen Qingqiu on the floor - needless to say, chaos ensued. Especially when they could spot the red handprint still fresh on Shen Qingqiu's cheek (from when the Qing Jing Peak Lord had slapped Yue Qingyuan who was still inhabiting his body), his disheveled state, as well as his wet cheeks, evidently from crystal-like tears.

Qi Qingqi was the first to lunge in and grab Shen Qingqiu away from Yue Qingyuan while Wei Qingwei restrained their sect leader with his two arms.

"How could you, Zhangmen Shixiong!"

"Is this really how you've been treating Shen Shixiong all this time?!"

"Wait, no - this is a misunderstanding!" Yue Qingyuan denied amidst the barrages of curse and shouts.

Shang Qinghua had fainted while Mu Qingfang was trying his hard to stop Liu Qingge from brandishing his weapon despite also muttering curses under his breath.

"Xiao Jiu, please say something!" Yue Qingyuan pleaded.

Shen Qingqiu blinked. He parted his lips, pondering for a moment, before his shoulders suddenly began shaking. Hiding his face in his palms, he sobbed. "Everyone… just let it be. Zhangmen Shixiong is right, Qingqiu's entire being belongs to him. He saved me and brought me here, how can I ever deny him of anything?"

Yue Qingyuan: "....." He had forgotten how good his Xiao Jiu was at faking tears for sympathy.

So this is what betrayal felt .

Oh well, as long as his Xiao Jiu could finally make some friends, a few bruises here and there was totally worth it.

Yue Qingyuan thought only happy days would be awaiting, now that he had made up with Xiao Jiu. They didn't just reconcile, their relationship now had even developed into something special.

The only problem was that with people finally seeing Xiao Jiu's charms, Yue Qingyuan now had to share Xiao Jiu's attention with them.

"Wrong note, Luo Binghe!" Shen Qingqiu barked.

"I'm sorry, Shizun!"

"Don't laugh Ming Fan, you were off beat!"

Yue Qingyuan sipped his tea slowly. Today was supposed to be his long awaited date with Shen Qingqiu, yet why was he here sipping tea alone while Shen Qingqiu was giving out guqin lessons? Ah right, because he told Shen Qingqiu to indulge his disciples once in a while and he was now reaping the consequences.

"Your fingers are too stiff, Luo Binghe!" Shen Qingqiu whacked his disciple with his fan.

How nice. Yue Qingyuan would love to get hit by Shen Qingqiu's fan too. At least that meant Xiao Jiu's eyes were on him.

"Shen Qingqiu!" Liu Qingge came bearing yet another mangled carcass. "I need you to help identify this monster for me."

"Shen Shixiong, ignore the shidi who still hasn't learned his manners and come have some tea with this shimei. We have new tea leaves from a foreign land," Qi Qingqi dropped by with her offer.

Yue Qingyuan smiled serenely while taking another sip of tea. Maybe one day he ought to buy Xiao Jiu a red dress, and bring him to a place of Xiao Jiu's liking for a nice, long honeymoon. Maybe then he could confidently and shamelessly have Xiao Jiu sit on his lap, embrace him from behind, call him husband…

"Zhangmen Shixiong, you're making a weird face," Shen Qingqiu's chuckle out a halt to his fantasies.

Yue Qingyuan smiled. "I was thinking of you."

"But I'm right in front of you."

"Yes, but I'm thinking of the right time for us to marry."

Shen Qingqiu froze, before his face instantly flushed red and he began smacking Yue Qingyuan with his fan. "Idiot! Shameless!"

Yue Qingyuan laughed. He was an idiot, for sure. But he would gladly be Xiao Jiu's idiot forever.